


Instinctual

by HngXS



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon, Eventual Smut, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:15:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22334785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HngXS/pseuds/HngXS
Summary: The night following a search for a dead body, Sindy Stilinski runs into Derek Hale. Everything in her tells her to run away from him, but she is also intrigued by him. She discovers a world that what she once thought didn't exist to be very real and has to rely on her instincts to keep her alive.Follows the canon from Season 1 onward.
Relationships: Aiden/Lydia Martin, Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Derek Hale/Original Female Character(s), Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore
Kudos: 19





	1. The Search

**Author's Note:**

> A story I started five years ago and never got done with.

**SUNDAY  
** **JANUARY 9, 2011**

_Creek_.

I glanced up from my reading, looking around my bedroom.

_Creeeek._

There it was again.

I placed my book down on the nightstand and climbed out of my bed. My legs immediately hit the cold air and I felt the goosebumps build up my skin.

I grabbed my brother's lacrosse stick, which I had just finished restringing for him about a half hour ago. I cautiously stepped outside of my room, armed and ready.

_Creeeeeek._

I heard it right behind me and spun around quickly, squeezing my eyes shut tightly. I swung my weapon at my assailant, and felt it make contact.

“ ** _ARGH_**!” I heard an all-too familiar voice call out in pain. I heard a dull thump as the body slumped to the ground and my eyes snapped open.

“ _Stiles_!” I scolded, trying to calm my rapid heartbeat. “What the _hell_ did you think you were _doing_?!”

“I should be asking _you_ that!” my twin brother snapped back at me, holding his cheek, which was a bright red. “Why the _hell_ did you hit me?!”

“You were creeping up behind me!” I retorted, throwing my hands up in the air.

“I was just going to get you!” Stiles cried, explaining his actions.

“Well, do that by _calling my name_! I thought it was some robber or murderer or something!”

“Okay, maybe I _should've_ done that, but who'd actually sneak into the _Sheriff's_ house?!”

I huffed angrily, lowering my arms, crossing them over my chest. He had a point. But still, he shouldn't have tried to act all stealthy. It was something Stiles wasn't. I stalked away, heading into the kitchen.

I opened the door to the fridge and pulled out a bag of frozen peas just as I heard the heavy thumps of my brother walking down the stairs. I handed him the bag and he mumbled his thanks, placing it on his bruising cheek.

"Sorry," I said, seeing him wince slightly when the cold plastic made contact with his skin.

"S'okay," Stiles replied in a small slur, taking a seat at the island. "You're right. I should've just called your name."

"What's up?" I asked, leaning over the island, looking at him. "It's ten o'clock at night."

"Dad got called out," Stiles informed me, his brown eyes glinting in mischief. "Two joggers found a dead body, but here's the catch: They only found half."

I pushed myself off the counter. "No way," I gaped in shock.

"Yes way," Stiles nodded. "And we're gonna go look for it. Get changed. I'm gonna call Scott." I eagerly nodded my head and all but sprinted up the stairs. I slammed my door shut quickly before changing into something suitable trek through the woods in.

As I walked down the stairs, I popped my head through the hole in my sweater and finished putting the rest of it on.

Stiles was frowning at his phone and said, "Scott's not answering."

"We'll just head to his house, then," I replied, grabbing the keys to his car. My brother nodded in agreement before we left our house in his baby blue powder jeep.

Since he was busy cradling his swollen cheek, I was in charge of driving. He tried called Scott a couple more times as well, but the boy just wouldn't answer his phone.

I pulled up in the McCall driveway fifteen minutes later and watched as my brother got out. Instead of taking the front door, however, he chose to simply scale up the house in typical Stiles fashion.

I sighed mentally, climbing out of the car. This was only going to get him hurt, I just know it.

I spotted Scott exiting his house just a few seconds after Stiles had climbed up, and was about to get the attention of both of them. However, Stiles lost his footing and Scott almost whacked him with a baseball bat as a result when my brother suddenly appeared in front of him upside-down.

Scott let out a scream, which made Stiles scream, which made Scott cry out, and then my brother let out a not-so-manly screech.

I face-palmed myself. _Why_ do I associate myself with these two?

"Stiles, what the _hell are you doing_?!" Scott snapped, clutching his baseball bat tightly.

"You weren't answering your phone!" Stiles cried out. He looked at the weapon in Scott's hands. "Why do you have a bat?!"

"I thought you were a predator!" Scott retorted.

Stiles sputtered in disbelief at the use of the noun before trying to explain himself. "Look, I know it's late, but you gotta hear this. I saw my dad leave twenty minutes ago. Dispatch called, they're bringing everybody, and I mean _everybody_ , even the state police."

"For what? And what the hell happened to your face?"

"Blame Sindy over there," Stiles jutted his thumb towards my general direction. It was then Scott noticed my presence. I waved at him before walking over to the two boys, now sure it was safe. I shoved my hands into my jacket pocket to keep warm.

"Anyway," Stiles said, flipping off from where he was stuck so he stood in front of us, "two joggers found a body in the woods."

"A dead body?" Scott asked, leaning over the railing to look at us.

"No, a body of water," Stiles corrected dryly. "Yes, dumbass, a dead body." He climbed over the railing like a monkey, whereas I chose to be human and climb up the steps of the McCall deck.

I stood there, my arms crossed as I listened to my brother explain to his best friend what I already knew.

"So, where are we going?" Scott asked, after he was completely filled in.

"Beacon Hills Preserve," I said for the first time since joining Scott. "It's where they found the first half of the body, so the second half shouldn't be too far."

I got into the driver's side before placing the key into the ignition.

"So, how'd you hit Stiles?" Scott asked as I drove down the dark road to the preserve. Stiles had placed the now-just-cold bag of peas to his not-really-swollen cheek again and I turned down the road, focusing on the road since it was so dark out.

"With his lacrosse stick," I replied simply with a shrug. "I restrung it about an hour ago, and it was still in my room."

"Dude, seriously?" Scott turned to his best friend. "Did you sneak up on her or something?"

"Or something," Stiles grumbled in admittance. "Who in their right mind would sneak into _our_ house anyway? That's just like, an invitation to get arrested."

I shrugged in response and just kept my eyes on the road.

About ten minutes later, I pulled up to the Beacon Hills Preserve and climbed out of the jeep, along with the guys, shutting the door behind me. I shuddered slightly at the change in temperature. It had to be about 45-50 degrees out.

"Are we seriously doing this?" Scott asked, looking at us.

"Yup," Stiles and I replied at the same time, turning on our flashlights.

"You're the one that's always bitching that nothing ever happens in this town," Stiles added, looking at our best friend.

"I was just trying to get a good night's sleep before practice tomorrow," Scott responded as we began our trek.

" _Right_ ," Stiles rolled his eyes. "'Cause sitting on the bench takes so much effort."

"No, because I'm playing this year," Scott declared. "In fact, I'm gonna make first line."

"That's the spirit," I smiled, patting Scott on the arm, since I was too short to reach his shoulder. Scott smiled at me thankfully, glad that one of his best friends was positive.

"Yeah," my brother agreed. "Everyone should have a dream, no matter how pathetically unrealistic."

"Just out of curiosity, Stiles, which half are we looking for?" I inquired. I blew into my hands before rubbing them. It was unbelievably cold outside tonight. I shoved my left hand into my pocket and guided the flashlight with the other.

"Huh," Stiles stopped for a second before resuming. "I didn't even think about that!"

"And what if whatever killed the body is still out here?" Scott piped in.

"Also something I didn't think about," Stiles replied, shrugging.

"That's really comforting to know," I commented, grunting a big as I climbed up a rather steep hill. I heard Scott run out of breath and turned around, watching as he leaned up against a tree and use his inhaler. "You alright, there, Scotty?"

"Yeah," he wheezed, before breathing in. When we reached the top, all of us dropped onto our stomachs as we caught something over the hill with our eyes.

Flashlights shone up ahead and I mentally groaned. I should've stayed at home. Even though Stiles was the older one, I was usually in charge because I was the more responsible one. Dad was gonna have my head.

"C'mon!" Stiles exclaimed suddenly, jumping up.

I jumped up, following my brother to make sure he didn't get us into too much trouble. Suddenly, a dog jumped out and I groaned in pain when Stiles fell right on top of me, the dog furiously barking at us, restrained by the cop that held him back by the leash.

"Hang on, hang on," I heard my Dad's voice say, coming forward. "These little delinquents belong to me."

"Get off of me," I groaned, shoving my brother off of me., causing him to roll over and onto the ground next to me.

He stood up quickly before greeting, "Dad, how're you doing?"

My dad looked at me pointedly. "You're supposed to keep him out of trouble."

"That's impossible," I pointed out bluntly. "I just try to keep him out of _too_ much trouble."

He looked contemplative for a moment before he sighed heavily before turning to Stiles, "So, do you listen to all my phone calls?"

"How do you know it was me and not Sindy?" Stiles retorted. My dad looked at him pointedly. "Okay, okay. But, to answer your question: no. At least, not the boring ones."

"Now where's the other usual partner in crime?" Dad looked around, most likely for Scott. Boy, I sure hope he stayed hidden.

"Who, Scott? Scott's home, isn't he, Sindy?" Stiles looked down at me thoughtfully. I nodded my head. "He said he wanted to get a good night sleep for the first day back at school tomorrow. It's just me, in the woods… alone… with Sindy."

Dad shined his flashlight behind me, clearly not believing us. "Scott, you out there?!" he called out. "Scott?!" When there was no reply, he sighed. "Well, I'm gonna walk you two back to whichever car you guys came from. And you, young man, you and I are going to have a conversation on something called _invasion of privacy_. Let's go, Sindy."

He gripped the back of Stiles's neck tightly, but not enough to hurt him (obviously). I followed after them, but stopped when I felt something.

There were chills up my spine, almost like someone was watching me. I turned my head while my father lectured Stiles. My eyes came into contact with bright, electric blue ones, and I internally held in a gasp. I blinked to make sure they were actually there. I focused on the spot where they were supposed to be, but they were gone.

I shook my head. It must've been that I was getting tired.

I jogged a bit to catch up to the two males in my family, as I had fallen behind by a couple of steps. Dad led us to where Stiles's jeep was parked and it was then he realized something. "What happened to your face, Stiles?"

"Oh, that was my fault," I said, raising my hand, even though he couldn't see. "Stiles scared me so I kind of whacked him with his lacrosse stick."

Dad looked at Stiles with an arched brow.

"What?!" Stiles exclaimed. "Why is everything automatically my fault?!"

"Actually, I was just wondering why you'd sneak up on your sister," Dad responded. "You know she took self-defense classes."

"Don't I know it," Stiles mumbled, unconsciously rubbing his cheek.

We arrived in front of my brother's jeep and my dad looked sternly at us. "I want you two back at home, in bed. It's almost midnight and you start school tomorrow. Bed as soon as you get home, understood?"

"Understood," my brother and I echoed.

I pulled out Stiles's keys from my pocket before climbing into the driver's side of the jeep. Stiles closed the passenger door as he slid in and I started the engine.

When I took off, it didn't take long for Stiles to continue talking again.

"I wonder if Scott got back okay," Stiles said wearily. He pulled out his phone and began to text his friend.

There was no response for a few minutes, and I felt the jeep move as Stiles shifted uncomfortably.

"Stiles," I said warningly.

"Sorry," Stiles replied. "Seriously, though, Sindy, aren't you worried about Scott?"

I frowned, furrowing my eyebrows together. Those bright blue eyes I saw were in the forest. I wasn't sure if those were a figment of my imagination or they were true, but that aside, it was the woods at night time and there was a possible murderer on the loose.

"Of course," I said eventually. "But there's nothing we can do now."

Just then, Stiles's phone chimed from a new text message. Stiles let out a strong sigh of relief. "Scott got out okay. He got bit by something and almost got hit by a car, but he's okay."

"Seems like he just got out of two near-death accidents, and you just say he's _okay_?" I questioned bluntly. "You're not worried he might be traumatized?"

"He hangs out with you, doesn't he?" I released my right hand from the steering wheel and whacked him upside the head. " _Ow_! Haven't you done enough damage to me for one night?"

"Technically, it's a new day," I pointed out, gesturing to the dashboard clock, which signified that it was twelve-oh-one. "So, no."

Stiles grumbled in his seat and proceeded to text Scott back. I rolled my eyes at his drama-queen persona before turning my complete attention to the road.

**MONDAY  
** **JANUARY 10, 2011**

I slid my sapphire blue Hyundai Genesis into the parking space beside Stiles's jeep before cutting the engine.

As I climbed out of my car, I spotted Jackson sneering down at Scott before walking away from him.

I frowned. Jackson Whittemore was the epitome of a rich kid who had everything but wanted more. I watched him stride into school, but, as if he felt my gaze, he turned to look at me, his blue eyes meeting my own brown ones. I broke eye contact when Stiles approached me.

We joined Scott, who had met us halfway. Stiles stuffed his hands in his pocket before saying, "Okay, let's see this thing."

Scott looked around, making sure no one was paying attention to us. _Pft_ . Who would? Sure, I was captain of the cross country team and medic for the lacrosse team, but me hanging out with Scott and Stiles seemed to deter anyone else from trying to approach me. He lifted up his shirt to reveal a large gauze, and I could see the blood seep through the center of it in a curve-like fashion. _Yeesh_ , that was bad.

My brows scrunched together as my face contorted into a rather… _ugh_ face. Stiles reached to touch it, but I slapped his hands away. " _Ow_!" he exclaimed. "Stop abusing me!"

"Don't _touch_ it!" I replied. I turned back to Scott and asked, "Do you know what caused it?"

Scott let his shirt fall back down and then he frowned, throwing his backpack over his shoulder. "It was too dark to see much, but I'm pretty sure it was a wolf."

Scott's eyebrows shot up. "A _wolf_ bit you?" he asked incredulously as the three of us trekked into the school building. "No. Not a chance."

"I heard a wolf howling," Scott responded.

"No, you didn't," Stiles countered, causing Scott to look at him incredulously.

Scott scoffed. "What do you mean I didn't? You weren't there."

"Scott," I began, "California doesn't have wolves. There haven't been any for over sixty years."

Scott stopped in his steps and I almost crashed into him. "Really?"

"Yes, _really_!" Stiles said, turning around to look at his best friend. He looked at Scott with a duh face. I adjusted the backpack I had over my shoulders before mentally sighing. Boys.

"Well, if you're not gonna believe me about the wolves, then you're definitely not gonna believe me when I say that I've found the dead body," Scott looked at the two of us, the corner of his lips curling in amusement.

Stiles sputtered unintelligibly for a couple seconds before saying, "Wait! Are you kidding me?" I must say, even if I wasn't into mysteries as much as my brother was, my interest was piqued.

"I wish," Scott shrugged. "Now I'm gonna have nightmares for a month."

"That's… pretty awesome," I nodded slowly. "That's like, the best thing that's happened since like… like…" I trailed off, not knowing what was the best thing.

"Since the birth of Lydia Martin…" Stiles sighed dreamily. Just then, the strawberry blonde walked past him and he said suavely, "Hey, Lydia. You look… like you're gonna ignore me." My brother had never resembled more like a puppy than any other time except when he "spoke to" Lydia Martin. And I say "spoke to" as in "he talks to her but she always ignores him" kind of way.

I briefly heard Stiles blaming Scott for their "nerd status" just as the bell rang.

"We're nerds by association," Stiles said, throwing his arm around my shoulders casually. "We're scarlet nerded by you."

"Did you just make a _Scarlet Letter_ reference?" I inquired in disbelief, looking up at Stiles. "You hate that book."

"I do, but it doesn't mean I didn't pick up a couple things from it," Stiles shrugged. We trekked off to our first class, which was English.

Thankfully, the seats weren't assigned, so we were able to choose our seats without any protests. I took a seat next to the window, the third seat from the back. Stiles took a seat behind me while Scott sat to my right.

Once the final bell rang, the teacher stood up and began to write _Kafka's Metamorphosis_ on the board while casually mentioning the body that was found in the woods last night.

At that mentioning, I angled my head to look at my brother and best friend-through-association. Stiles gave us both a wink before I turned back to the front.

The teacher mentioned the syllabus that was on my desk and I mentally groaned, looking at all the requirements this class needed. It wasn't that I was a bad student; I was actually on the Honor Roll. Stiles was completely wrong when he mentioned Scott was a nerd. A geek? Totally. But school wasn't Scott's strongest point… nor was anything else, for that matter.

My thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, and in stepped our vice principal, Mr. Green, and a pretty brunette.

She had ringlets around her face and her face was heart-shaped. Her skin complexion was a lot like mines: fair and almost delicate-looking.

"Class, this is our new student, Allison Argent. Please do your best to make her feel welcomed," Mr. Green announced.

Something caught my attention, and I spotted Scott was completely enamored by the new girl's presence. The corner of my lips curled in amusement and I angled my head slightly to look at Stiles.

_'Hey,'_ I mouthed towards him.

_'What?'_ he mouthed back.

_'Look at Scott,'_ I gestured to our best friend with my pencil. Stiles did as I told him, and when he spotted Scott's love-struck expression, he stifled a laugh.

The new girl, Allison, took a seat in the last open space: the one behind Scott. Suddenly, Scott whirled around, and held out his pen towards the girl.

I arched a brow and looked at my twin, hoping he'd have some answers. Much to my displeasure, he just shrugged, equally confused as I was.

I spotted the self-satisfied smile that flittered across Scott's face before I opened my notebook, ready to take notes.

The rest of the class breezed by smoothly, and I soon found myself packing my books while Stiles waited for me. Scott had left already, but it wasn't that big of a deal, considering Stiles's locker was right next to Scott's and mine was beside my brother's.

Stiles and I joined Scott at our lockers, and I spotted Allison talking to Jackson and Lydia. I arched a brow. "Two seconds here and she's already been graced with the presence of Jackson Whittemore and Lydia Martin."

"She's hot," Stiles shrugged. "Beautiful people herd together."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Stiles." I meant it in a joking way, of course. I definitely wasn't the worst-looking girl around, but I definitely wasn't on the same level as Lydia Martin and Allison Argent.

"Well, you're my sister," Stiles pointed out the obvious. "I'm like, obliged to insult and hurl harsh words that don't really mean anything to you, especially since I'm your twin and all."

"And that means I'm obliged to just hit you when you're being stupid," I replied, smacking his chest with the back of my hand gently.

" _Ouch_!" Stiles exclaimed, rubbing the spot I just hit in an exaggerated tone of pain. "You'd think Dad would do something about this abuse you direct towards me!"

I noticed a dazed look on Scott's face and nudged my brother. "Scott?" I called.

"Yo!" Stiles said, but no response.

I snapped my fingers in front of Scott's face, and that was when he snapped out of it. "What?" he inquired.

"Dude, you were like, a million miles away," Stiles pointed out. "You get everything you need for bio?" When Scott nodded, I closed my locker and we proceeded to head to our biology class.

The rest of the day was, for lack of a better word: boring. There wasn't really anything interesting that went on. It was just a typical first day: syllabi, new seats, some assigned seating you either loved or you hated (mostly hated), and choosing seats you loved.

It wasn't until lacrosse practice did things really get interesting.

I was sitting on the bottom bleachers, closest to the bench. The chances of Stiles and Scott being benched even during practice was pretty high. I love both the boys to death, but they just weren't good at lacrosse. Plus, Scott was kind of a severe asthmatic.

"-gonna make first line," Scott told Stiles as the two approached me.

"Hey," Stiles greeted me with a nod. He tossed his backpack at my feet and Scott did the same after giving me a smile.

"I swear, this season, I'm gonna make first line," Scott told me, after seeing my weary expression of his declaration to Stiles. "I love talking to you, Sindy, but I'm gonna make it."

I nodded slowly, and was about to say something else, but saw that Scott had this faraway look on his face. I turned around, and immediately spotted what had caught his attention.

It was the new girl: Allison. She was with Lydia and the two had placed themselves on one of the bleachers. There was no doubt that Lydia was here for Jackson and she just dragged Allison along for the hell of it.

"McCall!" I heard Coach Finstock say. He tossed Scott some goalie equipment while Stiles just took a seat on the bench in front of me.

"I sure hope Scott's gonna be okay," I frowned, watching him get geared up.

"He'll be fine," Stiles assured me.

Another coach suddenly blew his whistle, and I watched, confused, as Scott gripped his head like something was hurting him. Without warning, a player ran up and launched a ball straight towards Scott. It made contact with his face mask, causing him to fall back.

"Way to take it to the face, McCall!" I heard one of the players jeer.

"That's not good," I frowned, watching Scott get back up on his feet. "C'mon, Scotty!" I called encouragingly.

The next player ran up, but when he launched the ball, I watched as Scott moved up, catching the ball easily.

"Wh-th- Sindy!" Stiles whirled around so fast he almost fell. "Did you see that?! Scott caught the ball!"

And then, he did it again! And again! And again!

"Holy crap," I commented, amazed. I noticed someone got out of their place in line, and frowned when I realized that it was Jackson. "This can't be good…"

Jackson charged forward, with the ball ready. He swung, and the ball headed straight towards Scott. But then, Scott angled his body and caught it!

I jumped up from my seat in joy. "Yeah, Scott!" I cheered, clapping wildly. Stiles was making some strange sounds with his voice, as he was too in shock to even process words.

At the end of practice, Scott declared that we had to go find his inhaler, which he had lost in the reserve last night.

Once Stiles and Scott got out of the former's car and me out of mine, we began the long search for Scott's tiny inhaler.

"So, how'd you do that?" Stiles asked the million dollar question as we stepped through a small little ditch of water. I was glad I had worn my knee-high boots today, and I accepted the lending hands of both of my companions.

"I dunno," Scott replied. "It was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball. And that's not the only weird thing. I can hear stuff I can't be able to hear… _smell things_ …"

" _Smell_ things?" I inquired, cocking an eyebrow as I kept up with the two easily. I was on the cross country team with these two, and competed in meets regularly.

"Like what?" Stiles added.

"Like mint mojito gum in your pocket," Scott said to Stiles. Then he turned to me, "And the stick of Starbursts in yours."

I knew I had Starbursts in my jacket pocket, but Stiles looked completely confused at the mention of his gum. "I don't even have mint mojito–" he started, digging into his pockets, but cut himself off when he extracted something.

We both looked at Scott, confused for a second, before the boy turned around to continue his trek through the forest.

"So… all of this started with the bite…" I said slowly, following after Scott.

"Wh-what if it's like an infection?" Scott asked, completely scared. "Like my body's flooding with adrenaline before I go into shock or something."

"You know what?" Stiles said, "I think I've heard of this. It's a specific kind of infection." I looked at my brother curiously, stopping with them.

Scott looked at Stiles, a bit worried. "You serious?"

"Yeah," Stiles nodded determinedly. "I think it's called… _lycanthropy_."

I almost face-palmed myself from that, but stopped from doing so, because Scott's facial expression morphed into pure horror. "What's that? Is that bad?"

"The worst," I supplied, voice cracking from holding in my laughter. Scott took my voice as terror, and he looked completely worried.

"It's only once a month, though," Stiles said.

"Once a month?"

Stiles nodded. "On the night of the full moon." He let out a small howl and Scott's face dropped as he pushed my brother.

I let out a laugh and our best friend huffed, walking away. I exchanged looks with Stiles. We grinned at each other before lightly jogging after Scott.

"You said you heard a wolf howling," Stiles defended us. Well, he mainly defended himself, but eh. Minor details.

"There could be something seriously wrong with me!" Scott cried.

"You could be a werewolf," I joked, playfully pushing Scott while Stiles laughed, imitating a growl. "Obviously, we're kidding, Scott."

"Well, if you see me in shop class trying to melt all the silver I could find, it's because Friday's a full moon," Stiles piped in.

Scott stopped, making me pause in my walking as well. He looked around on the ground and said, "I could've sworn this is it. This is where I found the body… the deer came running… I dropped my inhaler here."

"Maybe the killer moved the body," Stiles suggested.

"Well, I sure hope he left my inhaler, the thing's like eighty bucks," Scott retorted. It sucked that it cost so much to _breathe_.

I let out a laugh, but then winced when Stiles hit me. "Ow!" I exclaimed. I turned to my brother and hit his chest. "Don't do that!"

To my surprise, he didn't even complain. In fact, he was looking somewhere else. I turned around, trying to see what had caught his attention.

My eyes fell on a tall figure a few feet away from us. He was dressed in a black t-shirt, black jeans, and had a black leather jacket thrown over his ensemble. His short black hair was cut on his head neatly, and as he approached us, I saw his eyes were a pale green.

I couldn't help but notice that he was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. He had an angular jaw, thick brows, and a little dent on his chin. He was _quite_ attractive, if I had to say so myself. I blushed slightly when his eyes met mine, but they quickly averted to look at my companions.

Scott stood up, and he took a step forward, making sure to cover me slightly.

"What are you doing here?" the handsome stranger demanded. He stopped a mere couple feet from us. "This is private property." Up close, he looked even taller: probably around six feet.

"Uh, sorry, man, we didn't know," Stiles apologized, a bit nervous.

"Yeah, we were just looking for something…" Scott agreed. The man raised his brows at Scott, but the teenager just said, "But… um… forget it."

The man pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to Scott, who caught it easily. When he opened his palm, I recognized it as his inhaler.

"We're uh, really sorry," I spoke up, taking a step forward. "We'll leave right now."

The man suddenly shifted his gaze, landing on me. I felt a shiver run down my spine at his intense gaze and my heart began to beat faster and faster. He held my gaze for another second before turning around, walking away from us.

"Dudes, that was Derek Hale," Stiles said. The name didn't ring a bell. "You remember him, right? He's only a few years older than us."

"Remember what?" Scott asked.

"His family? They all burned in a fire like ten years ago," Stiles informed us.

My eyes trailed away from Stiles and I watched as Derek Hale's retreating back get smaller and smaller before he disappeared from sight.

"What's he doing back, then…?" I inquired, unsure of his presence, but curious, nonetheless.


	2. My Best Friend's A Werewolf

**FRIDAY  
** **JANUARY 14, 2011**

My phone chirped, causing me to glance down at it curiously. I had connected it with the current case my father was currently working on, and since the only people I ever texted (for the most part) were Stiles, Scott, and my dad, I knew it had to be an update.

When I read over what they had found, I shot up from my seat and all but tackled Stiles, who was exiting the locker room, having just finished practice.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Stiles exclaimed as I pulled him away into a secluded location, away from prying eyes and ears. "Where's the fire?"

"The fiber analysis came in," I reported, pocketing my phone. "They found animal hairs on the body."

"So?" Stiles arched a brow at me. "It's the woods. There are animals in the woods." He looked at me, confused.

"That's not the strange thing," I shook my head, making my hair fall over my shoulder. I brushed some of it back before elaborating, "The hair belonged to wolves."

Stiles's eyes widened and he grabbed my hand. He all but dragged me, and I had to run quickly to keep up with him.

"Scott!" he cried, picking up speed. He spotted our best friend and all but sprinted towards him. "Scott!" he yelled again, his voice cracking. If this was any other time, I'd be laughing, but this was serious. "Wait up!"

"Stiles, I'm playing the first elimination, man. Can it wait?" Scott replied, a bit impatient, bouncing from one foot to another as he sat on the bench, waiting impatiently.

"Just hold on," Stiles insisted. "Sindy's phone is tapped into the databank involving the dead body case. The fiber analysis report came back from LA and they found animal hairs on the body from the woods."

"Stiles, I gotta go," Scott said, a bit distracted.

"Wait!" Stiles protested. "Scott, You're not gonna believe what the animal was-!" But it was futile. Scott had already grabbed his helmet and was already jogging towards the field. "It was a wolf…" Stiles finished dejectedly.

Coach blew his whistle and I patted Stiles's back. "I'm gonna go check out some books on lycanthropy," I told him quietly. "Tell me how practice goes."

Stiles nodded dully and I turned away, walking to the student parking lot. I unlocked my car and slid onto the smooth black leather easily. I closed the door and took a deep breath.

My best friend could be a werewolf.

Okay. I hope he doesn't kill me. He wouldn’t kill me… _right_?

I started the engine, and drove straight to the Beacon Hills Library. I hastily got out of my car, barely remembering to unlock it.

I jogged into the building and headed straight for the mythology section. I bent down to look at the werewolf section, which was at the very bottom.

I blinked, unsure of what to get.

There were a lot of books. That meant a lot of reading to get done. Thankfully, it was a Friday night, so Stiles and I could hit these books before hitting the ones for school.

I grabbed the most obvious one first: _History of Lycanthropy_. I grabbed a few more:

\- _The Book of Werewolves: The Classic Study of Lycanthropy_

\- _The Werewolf Handbook: An Essential Guide to Werewolves, and More Importantly, How to Avoid Them_

\- _Werewolves: A Field Guide to Shapeshifters, Lycanthropes, and Man-Beasts_

\- _A Lycanthropy Reader: Werewolves in Western Culture_

\- _The Book of Werewolves_

\- _The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia of Shape-Shifting Beings_

and to cover all bases: _The Complete Idiot's Guide to Werewolves_.

I stacked them all on top of each other and struggled to stand up, almost dropping all the books. After some difficulty, I was able to, so I walked to the check-out line to brings these books home.

The guy behind the desk arched an eyebrow at me when he spotted all the books I had. He glanced at the first book before scanning it. "Taking an interest in werewolves?"

"Uh, yeah," I nodded, ignoring the heavy feeling in my gut. "I was watching _Underworld: Rise of the Lycans_ and I just loved the characters, especially the Lycans, and I just wanted to learn more about them." It was a completely reasonable explanation, if I do say so myself.

The man nodded, like he understood completely. "When _Twilight_ first came out, so many girls were checking out books on vampires and werewolves. At least you picked a good series to allow you to want to read more about them."

I gave a small smile at him before he handed me back the stack of books. "Thank you," I said. He nodded, acknowledging me before I left the building.

After pushing the door open with my back and kicking it open, I headed straight to my car. As I was walking, the hair on the back of my neck stood up before I heard a voice ask, "Need some help?"

I shifted my head and almost jumped when I spotted Derek Hale standing a couple feet away. He was looking at the pile of books in my arms with an unreadable expression, lips pursed into a straight line.

"Oh, just for a few seconds?" I asked sheepishly. He nodded curtly and easily swiped all the books out of my hands. "I could take a couple…" I reached out for a couple slowly, but he pulled away.

He shook his head and just followed me to my car. "Quite an interest you have here," he commented nonchalantly, looking down at the cover of _The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Werewolves_.

"Oh, yeah," I let out a small nervous laugh. "My brother checked out a few books on vampires a couple nights ago and now I'm checking out werewolves. We watched _Underworld: Rise of the Lycans_ about a week ago and we wanted to learn more about them."

"Hm…" Derek made a small noise to show that he heard me. I looked at him strangely, but he didn't seem to do anything.

I unlocked my car, opening my trunk slowly. Derek placed the books in the trunk before closing it. He and I stood there for a while before I said, "Uh… thanks for the help. I really appreciate it." I took a step back, keeping some distance between us. There was something off about Derek that made me want to stay away, but I couldn’t just brush him off.

Derek said nothing for a few seconds, before nodding his head. He then pivoted and began to walk away, not acknowledging me again.

I shook my head at the interaction and climbed into the driver's seat. Instead of heading back to school, I drove directly home, hoping to get a head start on the research I knew Stiles and I were going to be doing this weekend.

I stumbled into Stiles's room, throwing the books haphazardly all over his bed. I sat down at the foot of it, opened the first page to the first book I grabbed, and began reading.

I don't know how long I was reading, but when I was about halfway through the first book, I heard Stiles come crashing through the front door. He slammed the door behind him and I heard his rapid footsteps hurry up the stairs before he threw his door open.

"That all there was?" Stiles asked, hopping into his chair and turning on his laptop.

"That looked credible," I explained, remembering a few wary titles. Stiles nodded and when his laptop booted up, he opened up the internet and began to research.

The two of us were silent, which was something amazing. Even though I was the calmer one between us, Stiles could bring out my hyper side. To say the house being quiet with the two of us home together was something that didn't happen often. It was only quiet after we fought, but we would forgive each other within a few minutes… then it'd be loud again.

The only sounds that were made were me flipping through the pages, Stiles's typing, or Stiles taking Adderall to stay focused. His knee would bounce up and down, but I was so used to it that it didn’t bother me anymore.

It was so quiet that when someone knocked on Stiles's door, I jumped so fast that I fell off of his bed. "Hide the books!" Stiles rushed me and I stood up quickly, throwing Stiles's blanket over the books.

He cautiously opened the door, and when it revealed a smiling Scott on the other side, we both heaved out sighs of relief. "Get in," he ordered. "You gotta see this. So we've been reading nonstop since we got home - websites, books, all kinds of information."

"How much Adderall have you had today?" Scott inquired curiously.

"A lot," Stiles replied, not sure himself. I glanced over at the bottle on his desk. "Doesn't matter, okay? Just listen."

"Oh? Is this about the body?" Scott asked, throwing his backpack on the floor before sitting down next to me. "Did they find out who did it?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "They're still questioning people, even Derek Hale."

"The guy we saw in the woods the other day?" Scott inquired, looking at me with his head cocked to the side.

"Yeah, but that's not it, okay?!" Stiles replied, whirling around in his chair to look at the two of us.

Scott looked taken aback but nodded nonetheless, "Okay… what then?"

"Remember the joke in the woods the other day?" Stiles questioned.

When Scott nodded, I sighed. "Well, it's not a joke anymore," I told him, making him look totally confused.

"What do you mean?"

"The wolf - the bite in the woods… We started doing all of this reading. Do you even know why a wolf howls?" Stiles exclaimed, standing up.

"Should I?" Scott asked Stiles before turning to me.

"It's a signal," I supplied, knowing my brother was too wired up to elaborate. "When a wolf's alone, it howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack. So, if you heard a wolf howling, that means others could be nearby, maybe even a pack of them."

"A whole pack of wolves?" Scott looked totally confused.

"No," Stiles shook his head. "Werewolves."

Scott looked completely upset as he stood up. In defense, I stood up as well, but since I stood only to the boys' chins, it wasn't much. "Are you guys seriously wasting my time with all of this? You guys know I'm picking up Allison in an hour."

"I saw you on the field today, Scott," Stiles interjected. "Okay? What you did wasn't just amazing, alright? It was impossible."

"Yeah, so I made a good shot," Scott shrugged, picking up his backpack.

"No," Stiles firmly shook his head. "You made an incredible shot. I mean, the way you moved - your speed, your reflexes… Y'know, people can't just suddenly do that overnight. A-and then there's the vision and the senses… and don't even think that I don't notice that you don't need your inhaler anymore." Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen him reach for it once. The guy used to get winded up if he ran up the stairs too quickly.

"Okay!" Scott snapped, and I was taken aback. Scott hardly even snapped at us. "Look, I can't talk about this now. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Scott, the full moon is tonight," I said firmly, stepping towards him. "Don't you understand?"

"What are you two trying to do?!" Scott cried, looking at me. His eyes flashed a bright gold. I barely even registered my shock before it shifted back to his normal chocolate brown. "I just made first line, I got a date with a girl who I can't believe wants to go out with me, and everything in my life is somehow perfect. Why are my best friends trying to ruin it for me?!"

"We're trying to help," Stiles pleaded. "You're cursed, Scott." He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"You changing is the least of our worries," I tried to explain, running a hand through my hair. "The full moon will also cause your bloodlust to be at its peak."

"Bloodlust?"

"Yeah," Stiles nodded. "Your urge to kill."

"I'm already starting to feel an urge to kill, Stiles," Scott said pointedly, looking at my brother.

"Scott," I sighed, picking up the book I was reading. I placed my finger on the line I wanted to read, "'The change can be caused by anger or anything that raises their pulse.'"

"I don't know about you, but I haven't seen anyone that raises your pulse like Allison does!" Stiles quipped. I would've laughed at any other time, but again… not the time. "You gotta cancel this date. I'm gonna call her right now."

Stiles walked over to where Scott's backpack was and began to rummage through it.

"What are you doing?!" Scott demanded.

"I'm cancelling the date," Stiles explained.

"No!" Scott yelled. "Give it to me!" My eyes widened in shock as Scott pinned Stiles against the wall with his left arm while he pulled his right hand back, forming a fist.

Before he did anything, though, Scott let out an angry roar and knocked Stiles's chair to the ground. I jumped back from the sudden movement and loud cry. Scott heaved heavily as he released Stiles. My eyes met Scott's, but I looked down, unable to react to what had just happened.

I could feel him look between Stiles and me a couple of times before he said, "I'm sorry." There was more heavy breathing as he continued, "I - I gotta get ready for that party."

I flinched when Scott got a bit too close to me to grab his backpack, which was right next to me. I peeked up between my hair and saw the hurt expression on his face. I looked away again, completely ashamed. I don't know what I was ashamed for.

Was it because my best friend is a werewolf and I can't accept it? No… I've accepted it just fine… Was it because my best friend scares me half to death? … That's probably it.

"I'm sorry," I heard Scott say again sadly before the door was shut.

My knees gave my weight away and I tumbled to Stiles's bed, sitting on it. My hands were visibly shaking and I heard Stiles pick up his chair. It was kind of hard to breathe and my heart was pounding so hard that I was getting a slight headache.

"Sindy…" Stiles called for my attention. I looked up, trying to will my hands to stop the shaking. Silently, Stiles spun his chair so the back was to me, and I could see three distinct tears that resembled claw marks.

"Oh God…" I breathed out. He really was a werewolf. Then I realized something. "We need to go to that party," I declared. "If Scott gets out of control, we'll have to take him somewhere else."

"Sindy, you could get hurt," Stiles said, looking at me. He looked down at my hands, which were still slightly shaking.

"And Scott can hurt everyone else," I shot back, fisting my hands. "I can take care of myself, Stiles. Besides…" I started, but trailed off. It wasn't for another half a minute before I continued, "I was… scared of Scott. I saw how I hurt him. If anyone is going to be hurt the most, it'll be Scott. We have to be there for him."

Stiles let out a sigh, but I'm sure it was because I was too stubborn and not because he didn't want to help Scott. "Fine, but the second he gets out of control and we're alone, you run, alright?"

"I'm not gonna leave you alone with him, Stiles," I frowned.

" _Promise_ me," Stiles almost begged me. "Please."

I looked into his eyes, which were just a couple shades darker than my caramel-colored ones. "Fine," I muttered. That seemed to satisfy him, and I got up from the bed. "I'm gonna go get ready. We'll take my car."

"Fine by me," Stiles shrugged before I left the bedroom.

I headed to my own room and opened my closet, grabbing a random dress from the casual dress section I had. These dresses were a bit fancy to wear to school, but hey, there were some days I felt like dressing up.

I looked down at what I had grabbed and saw that it was a black Rebecca Taylor ponte and lace v-neck mini-dress. I vaguely remembered that even though it was originally a $350 dress, I had a 70% off coupon and free shipping and handling, so I only had to pay $105 pre-tax for it, which wasn't bad.

I worked at the Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital as a filer and re-stocker. It wasn't much, but I got paid a good $13 an hour and I worked twelve hours a week, even more during breaks. It was how I was able to get a car that was a lot better than Stiles's jeep (since I actually had money to pay for my own gas). I was thinking about asking for more hours, but I’d have to see.

An hour later, I was freshly showered and was putting the last finishing touches of the mascara that I was wearing. I had added some extra curls to my hair, and as I was putting on my chapstick, my brother knocked on my door.

"You ready yet?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah!" I called back. I threw my chapstick in my clutch bag before walking to my door and throwing it open.

Stiles looked at me up and down before asking, "You sure you don't wanna change?" I rolled my eyes and shoved him out of my way lightly, heading downstairs. "Seriously, Sindy. I've got enough troubles with Scott. I don't need to go around beating other guys with a bat."

My brother and I got along better than most siblings (if I do say so myself). There were no secrets between us. I was the first (or Scott) to know anything that went around Stiles and he (and Scott) were the first to know if there was anything up with me… even crushes.

It didn't take Stiles long to pull up in front of Lydia's house, and when we arrived, the party was in full swing mode.

"I'm gonna go look for Scott!" Stiles shouted to me over the music. I nodded and my brother wandered off.

"Someone's looking fine tonight," a voice drawled from behind me. I turned around, feeling my hair brush over my shoulders lightly.

"Jackson," I greeted curtly, nodding my head once I faced the handsome brunet.

Jackson's eyes scanned me up and down before he grinned wolfishly at me. "Sindy Stilinski… you always clean up really nice."

"Thanks," I replied bluntly. "Shouldn't you be with Lydia? Y'know, your _girlfriend_?"

Jackson held up his hands in an almost defensive way. "I'm just looking, there's no harm in that. No touching involved at all… unless… you want to." He winked at me.

I frowned. "No, thanks." I turned around and walked away, heading to the cooler. I didn't trust the punch that was being offered, so I found a Coke and popped the tab open, drinking from it.

A flash of black caught my eye and before I knew it, Derek Hale was in front of me in all of his tall, dark, handsome glory. The only difference I saw from the other times I've seen him was that he was wearing a white t-shirt instead of a black one tonight.

I instinctively took a step back. "Are you stalking me or something?" I joked, laughing lightly.

The man before me simply continued to look at me with unwavering focus. "Where's Scott McCall?"

"Dunno," I shook my head. "My brother's looking for him, though." It was then I noticed someone waving at me, jumping around. I rolled my eyes when I saw it was just my brother. He waved his phone at me and then my keys.

I furrowed my brows in confusion and opened my clutch, pulling out my phone. I had a new text from Stiles: _Scott doesn't look too good. I'm gonna follow him. Be back to pick you up later._

I looked back up and as soon as I gave the nod, he dashed off.

"Scott's not feeling well," I informed Derek. "It looks like my brother's leaving to check up on him. Agh… we should've driven in separate cars…"

"Do you need a ride home?" Derek inquired.

"Do you mind?" I shot back.

"Would I be offering if I did?"

Huh, good point. I observed him for a few seconds, taking in his mostly-clean shaven face. There was a hint of a scruff coming on, but it wasn't there yet. I couldn't help but note that he'd look extremely good with a stubble or scruff.

"Please and thank you?" I smiled innocently. Derek nodded curtly and we began to leave, the mass of sweaty bodies making it slightly uncomfortable.

As soon as we were out of the crowd and in the front yard, it was then I realized it was quite cold. "Oh, jeez," I breathed out. "Maybe I should've stolen Stiles's jacket since he stole my car."

"Your fault for not wearing a jacket when it's January," Derek commented casually. I turned to glare at him, but something black obscured my vision.

I reached up and felt smooth, cold leather. I pulled it away from my face, realizing quickly that it was Derek's leather jacket. "You sure?" I asked, looking up at the older man.

"Would I be offering if I wasn't?"

I smiled and slipped it on. It was _huge_ to say the least. The sleeves went right past my arms and the jacket was as long as my dress itself. I couldn't help but breathe in the warm scent that engulfed me: woodsy with a thickness that I couldn't place.

I spotted Allison standing at the curb of Lydia's house, looking off into the distance with a look of disbelief. I then remembered that she came with Scott, but he had left with Stiles trailing behind him.

"Allison?" I called for the girl's attention.

The girl whirled around at the sound of my voice and she quickly hid the dejected look she had. "Sindy?" She looked from me to Derek and then back to me.

"This is Derek," I introduced, gesturing to the man. "He's a… uh… friend of mine. Derek, this is Allison, a friend of mine from school."

Derek nodded his head before pulling out keys from the pocket of his dark jeans. "Do you need a ride home?" Allison nodded slowly before he walked us over to where a Camaro that was _surprise, surprise,_ black.

Allison climbed into the back of the car and shut the door behind me before I could climb in. Derek raised an eyebrow at me, gesturing to the passenger seat before climbing in the car himself.

I opened the passenger door and slid in, closing the door behind me. Allison let out a heavy sigh in the back and I heard some rustling. I angled my head, seeing Allison take off her jacket while Derek started the engine.

"Scott's not a bad guy, Allison," I said from where I sat. "He's just going through some… _troubles_ right now."

"Can we not talk about him right now?" Allison asked me, slightly exasperated.

"Uh… yeah…" I nodded, not really knowing how to respond to that. Poor Scott. "Sure." I pulled out my phone, and texted Stiles, saying Allison and I were getting a ride from Derek.

Allison and I gave directions to our houses, and since Allison's was the closest, she was dropped off first. She gave us a small thanks before leaving the car.

Derek then took off, heading in the direction of my house. "You know about Scott, don't you?" he asked me. I blinked, staying silent.

The silence was a bit uncomfortable, so I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head, "You should grow out your facial hair."

"Oh, really?" Derek replied. "Why's that?"

"You'd uh… look at lot more h-handsome," I stuttered out, blood rushing to my cheeks. Oh my God, I can't believe I just said. "I mean, it's not that you're bad-looking right now, in fact, you're quite good-looking and… and… and… I'll- I'll just shut up now…" I mumbled the last part. I slunk into the seat, willing myself to get even smaller than I already was. How mortifying.

I heard a small rumble from Derek and I couldn't help but just know that he was laughing at me.

I couldn't help but let out a burst of excitement go through my body when my house came into view. When the car pulled to a complete stop in front of my house, I scrambled out of the seat, rushing out a quick, "Thank you!" before all but running into my house.

I slammed the door shut and placed my back against it.

Oh, God. I can't believe I just told a hot twenty-something-year-old that I thought he was hot. Fuck my life.

My phone rang, echoing throughout the silent house suddenly and I jumped in shock. I dug into the pocket of… oh crap, I still had Derek's jacket and he had my clutch… which I forgot in my haste.

When I pulled it out, it stopped ringing. I saw I had a missed call from Stiles, and before I could even call him back, it began to ring again.

"Where's the fire?" I joked, answering the phone call.

 _"_ Sindy _!"_ Stiles exclaimed in relief. _"Thank God you're alright!"_

"Why wouldn't I be?" I cocked my head to the side, confused.

 _"Sindy, Scott found out who bit him,"_ Stiles reported and I stood up, attentive. _"It's Derek Hale."_

I dropped my phone in shock, making it clatter to the ground. Thankfully, it was durable enough to not break. _"Sindy?"_ I heard faintly. _"Sindy?!"_

I dropped to my knees and picked up my phone. "I-I'm alright. I-I just…" I exhaled deeply. "I need to get some sleep."

 _"Go ahead,"_ Stiles said. _"I'll be home in ten minutes."_

I nodded dully and heard a click, signaling he had hung up. I trekked upstairs slowly and all I could think was one thing: I pretty much just hit on a werewolf that was going to kill me.


	3. Nightmares Commence

**MONDAY  
** **JANUARY 17, 2011**

I adjusted my bag as I waited for the boys to arrive from the locker room, sighing heavily as I sat on the bleachers outside. Because of the whole Derek-Hale-giving-me-a-ride-home thing, Stiles and Scott made it their job to make sure I was with one of them (or better yet: both) so Derek didn't ambush me and turn me, too.

I suppose as the student medic of the team, too, I should be here, but it wasn’t a requirement most of the time.

I dug into my bag, looking for a book to read, when something caught my eye: It was my clutch, which I had forgotten in Derek's car the other night.

I had gotten to school earlier today and when I opened my locker, there, sitting on top of my books, was the clutch I had forgotten in my haste of embarrassment on Friday night.

After Stiles checked it for anything: bombs, trackers, stolen items - jeez, the guy was a werewolf not a thief and bomber (I think) - he gave it back to me. I think he was also concerned that Derek was a stalker, which I kind of started to think he was, with the way he appeared out of nowhere sometimes and somehow got access to my locker.

I snapped out of my thoughts when Stiles came barreling right towards me, almost crashing into the bleachers in the midst of stopping so suddenly.

"We got a big problem," Stiles panted out.

"Where's the fire?" I blinked, cocking my head to the side.

"Remember the hunters Scott told us about?" Stiles inquired. What a dumb question, obviously I did. It wasn’t everyday you were told that your werewolf best friend was almost shot by a werewolf hunter. Apparently, he realized it and then brushed it off, "Nevermind. Stupid question. Anyway, Allison's father was one of them."

My jaw dropped.

"Yeah," Stiles nodded, deeming my reaction appropriate.

Coach blew his whistle, and Stiles patted my shoulder. I nodded, wishing him a quick, "Good luck," before he jogged onto the field.

Practice was just like any other day, so I was just reading _Maximum Ride_ when I heard a thud. Curiosity got to me and I looked up. Scott was on the floor and Jackson was walking away from him.

Finstock walked over to him, and began to scold Scott, calling him slower than his dead grandmother. I pursed my lips, tensing up. One thing I learned recently is that Scott was _not_ good at taking belittling these days. This was _not_ good.

I could practically feel how tense Scott was. He jogged over so he was in front of Stiles and stared down at Jackson. When Finstock blew his whistle, Scott charged.

He gave no mercy and ran right into Jackson, making him fall to the ground. I stood up quickly when Scott gripped his head tightly, like he was in pain.

I ran over to Scott quickly while the rest of the team went to Jackson. I gripped his shoulders tightly. Stiles came running towards us and gripped the other side of Scott.

"Scott?" I called. When I heard no response, I tried again, "Scotty?"

"Scott, you okay?" Stiles inquired.

"I can't control it, guys, it's happening," Scott hissed out, his voice strained.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, right here?" Stiles panicked. His eyes darted to where the others were surrounding Jackson and then at me. "We gotta get him out of here."

"The locker room," I rushed out. "Let's go."

Stiles nodded, gripping Scott's right side. I grabbed onto his left and we hoisted him up, rushing to the locker room.

As we jogged past the bleachers, a black spot stood out from all the greenery that surrounded us. My eyes made swift contact with a pale green and I felt his eyes bore into my soul. Derek was here.

I suddenly stumbled over the speed, unable to keep up with the boys. I quickly caught myself, remembering what was more important: _Scott_.

I let go of Scott partway to the locker room and ran ahead, picking up speed easily. I raced down the hallway, and pushed open the door ungracefully, almost tumbling into the room.

Stiles brought Scott in a few seconds later and the latter all but pushed the former away from him. We tried to go help him, but he simply looked at us and I found myself looking into golden eyes and large fangs. _Very_ large fangs.

"Get away from me!" Scott roared, voice distorted, and I fell back in shock.

"Crap, crap, crap," I cursed, and Stiles grabbed my hand and we rushed away from him, scrambling. I tripped over a bench and cursed out, "Fuck!" before Stiles and I stumbled against the lockers. My shin throbbed, but I ignored the pain, the adrenaline surging through me.

I heard a crash, which signalled me to look upwards. Scott was on top of the lockers, glowering down at us from behind his lacrosse mask.

"Shit," Stiles cursed. "Split up, maybe we'll confuse him." He pushed me away and we darted in different directions.

I heard snarling, which echoed through the empty locker room, but whenever Stiles and I scrambled, we would make a small crashing noise.

"To the door, the door!" I cried, pointing hurriedly towards the exit on the other side of the room.

"Easier said than done!" Stiles retorted, and I almost banged my head against some lacrosse gear. _Boys_.

I spotted Stiles grab the fire extinguisher that was near the door and he ripped off the tab. When he aimed it at Scott, nothing shot out.

"Swishing motion!" I ordered. I grabbed the tube and Stiles pressed down. I swiped the tube, and it let out a hiss before the carbon dioxide came spurting out in a white fog.

We backed out of the room and I leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. I glanced over at Stiles, and he was mirroring my expression. It was times like these did Stiles and I truly felt like twins.

"Stiles… Sindy…?" I heard a weak, cautious Scott call out.

Cautiously, we peaked in the room. Scott had removed his helmet to reveal his sweaty face. His eyes were back to being brown and from the looks of it, his incisors were the length of a human's.

"What happened?" Scott asked upon seeing us.

Seeing as Scott was back to normal, I tossed the fire extinguisher down onto the ground carelessly while Stiles took off his gloves. "You tried to kill us," Stiles clued him in.

"It's like we said," I said, taking a seat beside Scott, "anger is the trigger. Your pulse rises, you transform."

"But that's lacrosse," Scott explained. "It's a pretty violent game, if you haven't noticed."

"Well, it's gonna be a lot more violent if you end up killing someone on the field," Stiles pointed out, making our friend’s face fall.

"Stiles," I snapped, making my brother look at me. "Not helping." Stiles shrugged, giving me a _'What can you do about it?'_ face. I turned my attention back to Scott, "Scott, you can't play in the game on Saturday."

"But I'm first line," Scott protested.

"Not anymore," Stiles and I retaliated.

I then heard some loud laughing and talking, along with some shuffling, and realized the rest of the boys were coming back from their practice. I glanced up from where I sat just as Danny came walking in, leading the others.

"I figured you'd be here," Danny commented, looking at me. He held up my bag and explained, "You left this out there."

"Thanks, Danny," I said, standing up and taking the bag. Danny nodded, turning his attention to Scott. I shuffled a bit before asking, "How's Jackson?"

"Coach is with him," Danny said to me, but not at me. "They don't know for sure, yet." Scott looked away before Danny turned his attention back to me. "You should leave before Coach comes."

I nodded, giving another thanks to Danny before leaving the locker room. I made my way over to the parking lot, unlocking my car as I got closer.

Before I could get into my car, I felt myself getting pulled away. I opened my mouth to let out a scream, but a hand clamped over my lips, making me release inaudible sounds.

"Keep quiet," a deep voice rumbled into my ear. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I heard a hidden threat in-between the order. "I'm going to let you go. Do not scream, got that?"

My eyes widened fearfully and I nodded slowly. My pulse was beating so hard that I felt like I was about to pass out.

True to his word, my captor released me. I was spun around and came face to chest with a Henley shirt. I glanced up, seeing a light scruff before I made contact with pale green.

"Derek…" I exhaled, my heart rate slowing a bit. Despite what Stiles and Scott said, I trusted Derek to an extent. I still had no idea how trust-worthy he was, but he hadn't done anything to betray my trust just yet. … Despite the fact that he just held me from behind like he was going to kidnap me. I was seriously starting to wonder where my common sense was.

"Scott can't play the game on Saturday," Derek wasted no time telling me.

"Tell me something I don't already know," I retorted. He glowered down at me like he was going to hurt me, but something told me he wasn't. I didn't back down. "Something tells me you didn't bite Scott, too."

Derek cocked an eyebrow at me. "And what makes you say that so confidently? Hm?"

"I…" I began. Derek's eyebrow raised even higher. "I don't know… That's what my gut tells me," I breathed out. Then I remembered something, "Did - did you… kill that girl? In the woods?" It kinda felt like I was that girl from Twilight.

 _Ugh_. Bad reference. Sorry.

"What does your gut tell you?" Derek asked back. Before I could reply, he suddenly turned to the school. He turned back to me and said lowly, "I'm leaving. Make sure Scott does not play. You seem to have good instincts. _Use them_." Without waiting for any confirmation, he stalked away.

"Do I want to know why you're totally staring off into space?" Stiles inquired, walking out to join me with Scott not far behind him. I blinked, not realizing I had been staring at the spot Derek had walked away from for so long.

I shrugged. I had learned that if I lied, my heart would stutter, and Scott would be able to pick it up. I simply climbed into my car and said, "I'll meet you back at home. I gotta run a couple errands first." Stiles nodded in confirmation and I gave Scott a wave before driving off.

After finishing off my errands within a couple hours, I drove back to my house. I called for Stiles to help me put away the groceries, and he came running downstairs with a toy gun.

"Do I want to know why?" I inquired, arching a brow at him. He shrugged and I handed him a paper bag full of items.

Once everything was put away, I climbed upstairs. Stiles called out, "Log online!" and I did so.

I changed into comfortable pajamas: a large t-shirt and shorts, before I had an incoming video call. I accepted it and was immediately greeted with Stiles and Scott's faces.

"What'd you find out?" Scott inquired.

"Well," Stiles started, sighing, "it's bad. Jackson's got a separated shoulder."

"Because of me?" Scott almost sounded like he was whining.

"Because he's a tool," Stiles responded.

"Is he gonna be able to play?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"They don't know yet," Stiles told me. "Now they're just counting on you for Saturday."

I heard Scott let out a heavy sigh and I noticed a shadow behind him. There was no way that was his mom. I saw that Stiles was typing, but before it was sent, we disconnected.

" _FUCK_!" I heard Stiles yell from his room. I got out of my seat, heading to Stiles's room. When I got there, I spotted Stiles intensely hunched over his laptop.

"Oh God," I gaped. "Is that-?"

"Derek?" Stiles interrupted me. "Yeah." I watched as Derek pinned Scott to the wall, vehemently whispering words I couldn't hear.

Then, as quickly as he appeared, he disappeared.

"Scott…?" Stiles and I inquired, a bit unsure.

"You okay, buddy?" Stiles added.

"I-I-I'm fine," Scott stuttered out. He looked a bit shaken up as he plopped back into the chair. "I-I can't play the game Saturday."

 **FRIDAY  
** **JANUARY 21, 2011**

"So, how'd it go?" I asked, approaching Scott. He groaned and banged his head against his locker. "Don't hold back your great mood," I commented sarcastically adjusting the books in my arms.

"Not the best time, Sindy," Scott grumbled, referring to my sarcasm. He shifted his backpack over his shoulder and we began walking to our next class. "I get enough of that from Stiles."

Before we could do anything, said boy grabbed Scott, who instinctively grabbed my wrist. We let Stiles drag us behind a wall and he pushed Scott in front of us. "Tell me what they're saying."

I glanced up the stairs, and that was when I noticed my dad talking with the principal. I watched as Scott narrowed his eyes, his focus totally on our dad.

"Curfew because of the body," he reported.

Stiles scoffed disbelievingly. "Unbelievable. My dad's out looking for a rabid animal, while the jerk-off who actually killed the girl is just hangin' out, doing whatever he wants."

"Well, you can't exactly tell your dad the truth about Derek," Scott pointed out.

"Are you sure it's Derek?" I asked, making the two boys swirl to me. "I-I mean maybe it could be someone else…"

"Sindy," Stiles sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder, "I know you like the guy and all, but do you honestly think that there's someone else out there that's worse than Derek?"

"I don't like him," I grumbled, shrugging off his hand.

"Oh, you do," Stiles answered. "I saw that _'oh my God he's so hot'_ look on your face when we first met him." He pushed at my shoulder, but not roughly.

"So I find him hot, whatever," I shrugged, pushing Stiles back as well. "At least he knows of my existence."

"What're you talking about?" both Stiles and Scott asked, mirroring each other's confusion.

I shrugged. "I might've run into him more than once these past couple of weeks…" The two boys’ eyes widened in shock.

"Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?" Stiles and Scott exclaimed. Thankfully, the hallway was so loud that their exclamations were blocked out. Sometimes, I think Stiles and Scott were the twins, not Stiles and I.

"We gotta do something about this," Stiles declared. He didn't even wince when I hit his chest. Instead, my hand hurt. Stupid werewolf.

"Like what?" Scott turned to his partner in crime.

"Find the other half of the body," Stiles said. Without even waiting for a reply, he walked off, leaving Scott and me alone.

"Are you kidding?!" Scott exclaimed to Stiles's retreating back, but the latter didn't bother to look back at us. He sighed heavily before something caught his attention.

I was about to chase after him, but was stopped by a voice. "Hey, Sindy!"

I whirled around at the sound of my name being called. "Oh, hey, Danny," I greeted.

"I kind of sort of ditched history the other day to go check up on Jackson…" Danny trailed off. "Did you take notes on last night's reading?"

Usually when there were readings, I liked to take notes so I could remember the details more clearly, and so I could study more properly. Also, there were times Stiles and Scott didn't actually do the reading, so they'd look over my notes to not be totally screwed.

"Yeah," I nodded, reaching into my bag. I opened my binder, quickly finding the notes. I handed it to Danny, who gave me a grateful thanks. "No prob." He and I then turned our heels, walking in different directions.

"-rek."

"Your friend?"

"He's not my friend. How much did you talk to him when he drove you and Sindy home?"

"Mmm, not much at all."

"What did you say?"

I noticed he was scaring Allison with his pushiness, so I stepped forward, linking my arm with Scott's. "Hey, Scotty!" I exclaimed, making him break eye contact with his potential girlfriend.

"Now's not the time, Sindy," Scott huffed, looking down at me. "Tell me about the night Derek drove you two home."

"Not much happened," I told him honestly, looking back up at him. "If anyone was doing the talking, it was me. You know how I ramble when I'm not completely comfortable." Scott looked thoughtful for a second, looking off in the distance. I turned to Allison.

 _'Is he okay?'_ Allison mouthed me.

I rolled my eyes in response before mouthing, _'I'll deal with him.'_

Allison nodded her head before saying, "I… gotta get to class. I have a…" She didn't even bother finishing her excuse before walking off, even though we had a good four minutes to get to class.

Scott looked down at me with a pleading look. "Could you talk to her? I-I have to go do something."

"I hope it's not too stupid," I sighed, releasing my grip on him. I brushed a lock of hair out of my face. "Go." He gave me a thankful look, like I just gave him a treat and then ran off.

I walked to French, the one class I didn't have with Stiles and/or Scott. I did have it with Allison, though, and I had invited her to sit next to me on the first day back, so we were partners.

I slipped into the seat next to Allison and she didn't waste any time asking me, "What was going on out there?"

"Scott was just being Scott," I sighed out, shaking my head. "Don't let it get to you. He gets… _overprotective_ , sometimes."

"Does it happen a lot?" Allison asked, "with you?"

"All the time," I rolled my eyes. "Stiles and Scott are like this," I emphasized with wrapping my middle finger over my index to show how close they were.

"I mean, like, specifically with you," Allison elaborated.

I turned my head fully to her, cocking my head to the side in confusion. _Specifically with me?_ She means like - "Oh!" I exclaimed. "Are Scott and I…?" I trailed off. She nodded. I shook my head. "No, no, _no_. He's like another brother to me. By all means, please, go for him. I've never seen him enraptured with any girl besides you before."

Allison's cheeks tinged pink a bit. "Really?" She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and I couldn’t help but smile at how endearing she was.

"Please, keep him sane for us," I confirmed, just as the bell rang.

Halfway through class, my phone vibrated. I glanced up to see if the teacher was still lecturing. When I saw that she and her back to the class, I unlocked my phone and read the text from Scott to Stiles and me.

> **Scott McCall:** Found the body. Come to my place ASAP.
> 
> **Sindy Stilinski:** In class. Be there when school ends.
> 
> **Stiles Stilinski:** Crap. TELL ME LATER.

The three of us had our own little group message chat because it was always a lot easier to pass on information through each other that way. Either way, the other was going to find out, so it was always best for us to just group chat everything instead of one-on-one. Before unlimited texting was a thing, we had many three-way phone calls.

When the bell to end class rang, I stood up, gathering my stuff. I heard the sound of rushed footsteps all but pound into the room, and when I glanced up, Stiles was there, jittery with anticipation.

"Hurry up!" he urged, swiping my binder for me. "Let's go!" He urged me quickly. Allison looked at Stiles with confusion, but walked off, no doubt to meet up with Lydia.

"The information's not going anywhere, Stiles," I sighed, but grabbed everything else.

Stiles all but ran out the door and I had to jog to follow behind him. I guess we were ditching our last period of the day. Oh well, it's not like Finstock cared about schooling. He was known for bribing his players with As.

I climbed into Stiles's jeep, since we had ridden in his car today, and he took off before I could even get my seatbelt all the way on. I clung for dear life.

Stiles barely remembered to place the car into park before yanking the keys out and rushing into the McCall residence. I climbed out and jogged after my brother, watching as he took three steps at a time to get to Scott's room.

He threw open Scott's door, yelling, "What did you find?! How did you find it? Where did you find it? And, yes, I've had a lot of Adderall, so-"

I let out a heavy sigh, plopping myself onto Scott's maroon sheets. Having a brother with ADHD was exhausting sometimes.

"I found something at Derek Hale's," Scott reported to us.

I sat up straighter at the mention of his name. "What’d you find?" I demanded.

"There's something buried there," Scott said to us. "I could smell blood."

"That's awesome!" Stiles exclaimed. I glowered at him and he fixed his statement, "I uh, mean, that's terrible. Whose blood?"

"I don't know," Scott said, standing up. "But when we do, your dad nails Derek for the murder, and then you two will help me figure out how to play lacrosse without changing, because there's no way I'm not playing that game."

He threw his restrung lacrosse stick on the bed just as I stood up. They were really determined about this.

"Even if Derek's the murderer," I sighed as I followed them down the stairs, "what'll happen if he catches us."

"I'll come up with a plan," Stiles assured us, but it didn't seem very reassuring. Even though I didn't believe Derek was a murderer, I knew he was a werewolf, and I'm starting to think that was even worse than a murderer. Did werewolves eat the same thing as humans? Given Scott’s current diet, I would assume so, even if he did like his meat a little more rare now.

Stiles first drove us to the Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. "I swear, if you guys get me fired…" I began, but before I could finish my threat, Stiles cut me off.

"Relax," he said, patting my shoulder. "When have we ever sold you out?" I looked at the two pointedly with narrowed eyes. "...Okay, so maybe we have, but this is different. Don't worry about it, alright?"

I rolled my eyes before looking at Scott. "The morgue should be easy enough to find. I'll keep a lookout from across the hall."

"I'll be in the waiting area," Stiles informed. "Good luck, I guess?"

Scott entered the morgue and I leaned against the wall, waiting for Scott. A few minutes later, Scott walked out of the door. I quirked an eyebrow, "Got it?"

"Yeah," Scott nodded.

We went to rejoin Stiles, who was reading a pamphlet about the menstrual cycle. "What the hell are you reading?" I asked.

"Holy God!" Stiles jumped when I asked that question.

"The scent was the same," Scott said.

Stiles stood up quickly, focusing intently. "You sure?"

"Yes," Scott nodded his head.

"So he did bury the other half of the body on his property?"

"Which means we have proof he killed the girl."

Both boys turned to look at me, with identical looks that read, _'I told you so.'_

I sighed for the umpteenth time. "We're gonna need shovels."

And that was how I found us staking out the burnt Hale household later, waiting for Derek to leave the place.

I didn't get how people could do this crap. It's the most boring thing in the world. I felt my eyelids get heavy, so I lied down on the back seat, before closing my eyes.

It wasn't until I felt something hit me and I unconsciously swung up did I realize I really did fall asleep.

"Ow!" I heard Stiles hiss when my palm made contact with something. "Dammit, Sindy, wake up!"

I slowly peeled my eyes open, and realized it was completely dark out. "Is he gone?" I mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as I sat up.

"Yes," Stiles hissed. "So grab a shovel and let's start digging."

"Go suck a lemon," I grumbled, but still grabbing my shovel. I stepped out of the jeep and closed the door behind me.

Stiles shined a flashlight behind me as Scott led us to the burial sight. "Wait, something's different," he said, sniffing around.

"How is it different?" I asked, watching where I was going.

"I dunno," Scott replied. "Let's just get this over with," he declared, digging his shovel into a pile of dirt.

I planted my shovel into the ground, and joined my two companions in their digging.

Now, let me tell you something about shoveling: it's boring and hard work. I'm not kidding. You dig a small hole, and then some dirt falls. You dig some more, some more dirt falls. Half of what you dig is immediately buried.

Not to mention how heavy the shovels were. And the dirt. I can say that I'm mostly fit, but jeez. I'm a runner, not a lifter.

"This is taking way too long," Scott said worriedly, voicing my thoughts.

"Just keep going," Stiles insisted.

"What if he comes back?" Scott asked.

"Then we get the hell out of here," Stiles retorted.

"And if he catches us?" I inquired, still digging.

"I have a plan for that," Stiles said smartly.

"Elaborate," I urged him.

"You run one way, Scott runs another, I run another. Whoever he catches first, too bad."

"Oh, I hate that plan," Scott complained. "Sindy never gets caught. It's either you or me."

"Then it's either you or me," Stiles shrugged. He dug his shovel down, and he hit something. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop, stop, stop."

I threw my shovel aside and bent down. I felt the cold, soft yet rough soil brush against my fingers, sticking to my hands as I brushed away the dirt on whatever was barricading our way.

When the dirt was brushed back, it revealed a sack with a bunch of knots tied around it. Stiles immediately began working on the first one.

"Hurry!" Scott urged.

"I'm trying, but did he have to tie the thing in, like, nine-hundred knots?" Stiles scoffed. I worked on the one on the far left while Scott untied the one on the far right.

Damn, these knots were tight. Werewolf strength was not to be underestimated. When it was fully untied, we all pulled it back.

I jumped back in shock with a black thing was there instead of a human body. "Oh my God!" I yelled, grabbing my furiously beating chest. I almost tripped on some dirt. "What the hell is that?!"

"It's a wolf!" Scott exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Yeah, we can see that!" Stiles and I exclaimed at the same time. Oh _God_ it looked terrifying. Its eyes were still wide open, mouth slightly open with its dry and dirty tongue sticking out.

"I thought you smelled blood, as in, human blood!" Stiles added on.

"I told you guys something was different," Scott tried to defend himself.

"I'm gonna have nightmares for a week," I groaned. _Why did I agree to this?_

Stiles looked at the wolf's body in disbelief. "This doesn't make sense."

"We'll make sense when we get out of here," I sighed, my heart rate slowing down a bit.

"Yeah," Stiles nodded. "Yeah," he repeated. "Help me cover this up." Scott and I began to work on covering the body, which Stiles gripped my elbow, getting dirt on my jacket.

"What is it?" I asked, pausing in my actions. My brother was completely focused on something else.

"You see that flower?" Stiles pointed straight across from us.

I looked at the light blue, almost purple flower that was planted a couple feet from us. "Is that… what I think it is?"

"It's a flower," Scott deadpanned. "What about it?"

"I'm pretty sure that's wolfsbane, Scott," I quipped, looking at him pointedly.

"What's that?"

"Haven't you ever seen _The Wolf Man_?" Stiles looked at Scott. When Scott shook his head, Stiles continued, "Lon Chaney, Jr.? Claude Rains? The original, classic werewolf movie?"

Scott just looked exasperated. "No! What?!"

Stiles and I exchanged looks before sighing in unison. "You are so unprepared for this." Of course out of the three of us, _Scott_ had to have been the werewolf.

Stiles stood up, walking over to the wolfsbane. He picked it up, only to realize it was attached to a rope. I watched as he pulled on the rope, going around us in circles, almost like a spiral.

I looked down at the wolf and jumped back in shock again. Dear God, my heart can't take any more of this. I broke eye contact with the dead, upper half of the body of the woman, unable to keep looking at it any further.

Forget a week. I was gonna have nightmares for a _month_.


End file.
